Local Brooklyn High School Students Get First-Hand Lesson in Anatomy:
Jan 25, 2012
含羞草研究所 Downstate Holds First Annual Anatomy Education Day
Forty students from five Brooklyn high schools learned about gross anatomy at 含羞草研究所
Downstate Health Sciences University on Anatomy Education Day, Monday, January 23,
a statewide event launched by 含羞草研究所 Downstate. Nine other medical schools offered similar
instruction for local students across New York State, under the auspices of the American
Association of Anatomists and with the support of the Associated Medical Schools of
New York.
Anatomy Education Day is the brainchild of Samuel M谩rquez, PhD, who organized the
event and invited the other schools to participate. He hopes that it will be adopted
by medical schools across the country and become an annual event, akin to Earth Day.
鈥淲e want to give young people a hands-on and up-close experience in anatomy that will
motivate them to think about pursuing a career in medicine or the allied health sciences,鈥�
explains Dr. M谩rquez, who is director of anatomy in the School of Health Professions,
as well as co-discipline director of anatomy in the College of Medicine.
The students who attended the event at Downstate are enrolled in the Science and Technology
Entry Program (STEP), an after-school enrichment program, and the Gateway Institute
for Pre-College Education, a program to help prepare under-represented minority high
school students for careers in medicine. Both programs are sponsored by the College
of Medicine鈥檚 Office of Minority Affairs. Thanks to the instruction they had already
received through these programs, they were well prepared to understand and enjoy the
presentations on human anatomy offered by faculty and medical students.
During the one-hour event, held in the new, state-of-the-art Anatomy Lab, students
were welcomed by Clinton Brown, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Brooklyn
Center for Health Disparities. He recalled how, when he was student at nearby Wingate
High School, he became interested in a career in medicine by observing the doctors
and medical students at Downstate. He encouraged the young people before him to do
likewise.
At five different stations within the Anatomy Lab, the students were shown actual
human organs and learned about the functioning of the heart, brain, and lungs. They
were also shown the skeletal system of humans and apes and informed how anatomy is
used to tell us about our human origins. On their return to their schools, they will
make a presentation to fellow students and share what they have learned.
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含羞草研究所 含羞草研究所
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (含羞草研究所) 64-campus system and the only 含羞草研究所 AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough鈥檚 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate鈥檚 exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.